This invention relates to fishing lure systems, and more particularly relates to methods and apparatus for modifying a bill assembly insitu to enable a fishing lure to adapt to various fishing objectives and environmental conditions.
It is well known in the prior art that fishing lures are a useful device for catching fish. Indeed, the typical fisherman has an extensive collection of fishing lures to accommodate different environmental conditions such as water composition, watr flow characteristics, and weather. In addition, the fisherman's lure collection includes lures intended to catch different species of fish.
It is also well known that to be successful catching fish with a lure, the fisherman must select the lure with travel and diving characteristics that accurately mirror the fish being sought. Depending upon the aspirations of the particular fisherman, this collection of lures may be rather substantial to accommodate the diversity of fish under the vicissitudes of mother nature. Accordingly, many attempts in the prior art have sought to limit the prerequisite lures to catching fish under these diverse and unpredictable circumstances.
Many lure systems are known in the art for interchanging the parts thereof whereby a limited inventory of such lures may nonetheless accommodate varying fish idiosyncrasies and unpredictable water and weather conditions. Furthermore, there have been improvements in the prior lure art whereby such adjustable lure have been developed to enable interchanging parts thereof insitu to avoid disruption to the fishing process. These attempts, however, have only been marginally successful in providing a convenient and effective means and method for adapting lures under the exigent conditions that typify the fishing process.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,507, Russell discloses an adjustable fishing lure bill which causes the lure to dive to one of three preselected shallow, medium or deep depths. The particular depth achieved is controlled by a slot gauge which locks the bill into place by rotating an eye screw. While this lure provides for the insitu adjustment of the lure to accommodate varying depths, it apparently requires a tool such as a pair of pliers to accomplish the adjustment thereof. Under customary wet conditions, which could be exacerbated by cold weather, in a small craft and the like, using a tool to make such an adjustment may be cumbersome and even impracticable.
Furthermore, an inherent disadvantage of the Russel lure is that the integrity of the bill assembly turns upon the security imparted by its single eye screw. More particularly, if this eye screw is not properly secured, or if the screw loosens with use, the lure is apt to travel erratically through the water, and the depth achieved is apt to deviate from that intended. As should also be clear to those skilled in the art, the structural limitations of the track of the bill assembly preclude the attachment of bills of different configurations, particularly bill of greater thickness and broader shape to promote deeper diving and travel through the water.
In an attempt to overcome limitations of the prior art, Tunstall in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,378 discloses a fishing lure which provides a method and apparatus to vary the colors of a lure by interchanging the back thereof without removing the lure from the fishing line. The Tunstall lure also teaches a plurality of depth controls which cause it to plunge to prescribed depths. This insitu depth control is achieved by a snapping means of interconnecting one of a plurality of detachable dive planes with the lure body.
Notwithstanding the Tunstall lure affording a convenient method to forcibly snap interchangeable dive planes into and out of the lure body, its ability to withstand stress from obstructions to normal travel or from large fish is also limited. This tendency for separation caused by obstructions is, of course, more likely to occur at shallow depths than at deep depths. Another disadvantage of this prior art is that the uncertain snugness of fit between the interchangeable parts and the concomitant misalignment thereof, are detrimental to the flow characteristics of the lure.
West, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,067, teaches a means for threadingly interconnecting the head portion of a lure with its interchangeable decorative, fish-attracting skirt portion. This lure assembly inherently provides improved security between the head and skirt portions thereof, and also promotes proper alignment therebetween. The method of screwing and unscrewing these interchangeable parts under wet conditions usually in a small craft, requires careful initial alignment of the screw and corresponding threads, which may be difficult and frustrating in a moving craft, and is time-consuming. Furthermore, there is also a tendency for the threads to become obstructed by dirt and the like, and even for the integrity of the threads to deteriorate due to wear.
Accordingly, these limitations and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention, and improved means and techniques are provided which are especially useful for adjusting bill attributes insitu to enable a lure to be used to catch a diversity of fish under varying environmental conditions.